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There’s an all-day board game festival weekender for tabletop fans happening in Manchester this February

We defy you to be board during this weekend with all the stuff these guys have planned for you.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 19th January 2024

If you’re into your board games, you’ll be chuffed to hear that there’s a tabletop gaming festival coming to Manchester where you can roll dice, role-play and roll up your sleeves for a proper old-school sweaty gaming session.

Ah, those were the days, and we’re determined to relive them as often as we can.

Set up by local tabletop meeting organisers Dungeons and Flagons, who have various events taking place at different locations all around Greater Manchester each and every month, the ‘Tabletop Weekender’ next month is set to be their biggest event to date.

Taking place in the first weekend of February, visitors can expect hours upon hours of board game fun, with tickets available for both days of the full weekend if you really want to put some tabletop time in.

The Dungeons and Flagons brand has slowly but steadily been building a pretty big cult following in and around Manchester, with regular meetings amongst fellow board game fans almost every night of the week at multiple venues in the city centre and beyond.

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While this is by no means the first festival like this, they’re hoping to kick off 2024 with a bang by making this the biggest and best Weekender yet.

And when we say this is an all-dayer, we mean it: the fun starts from 10am and runs all the way until 10pm on Saturday, as well 10am-8pm on Sunday, there’ll never be a lull in the festivities.

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Credit: Dungeons & Flagons (via Facebook)/Hannah Reeves (via IG)

Sponsored by industry brands Hachette Boardgames UK, Zatu Games and Chaosium Inc., you can expect raffles and giveaways, a traders row to buy and sell; bingo, pub quizzes and other activities, not to mention more cosplay and game choices than possible moves in a game of Warhammer.

They always have plenty of cards up there sleeves too. Not literally — that would be cheating.

But, seriously, the 18+ afterparties once the games have included everything from standup and live magic to karaoke, horror film screenings and party games galore.

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It’s the biggest board game festival and gathering of tabletop players anywhere in Greater Manchester.

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With games like straightforward Dungeons and Dragons and ‘Puzzle Parlour’ jigsaw sessions, to the Honey Heist RPG, the ominously named ‘Blood on the Clocktower’ and so many more choices, you can turn up and book on to so many different kids of games or just go with the flow.

Taking place in the Manchester Metropolitan University‘s Student Union over the first weekend of next month, this fun and family-friendly event isn’t just for those who are used to playing board games; the Tabletop Weekender is the perfect opportunity to give the genre a try if you’ve ever been curious.

If you fancy rolling the dice on it, you can grab your tickets HERE and there will be a small amount available to buy on the door across both days.

Hope you catch a few of you there!

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One of the most welcoming communities you’ll ever come across. Give it a try.

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Featured Images — Dungeons & Flagons Events (via Facebook)/Hannah Reeves (via IG)

What's On

Manchester’s new real-life Pac-Man experience is coming soon and you can grab early bird tickets

Danny Jones Danny Jones Real-life Pac-Man experience Manchester

Manchester already boasts a whole host of interactive games bars and activity destinations to boast, but we feel pretty confident in saying that there are very places on the planet where you can find a place to play a real-life version of Pac-Man.

First announced back in October and now scheduled to debut in March 2025, the Pac-Man Live Experience is the newest addition to Manchester’s growing entertainment scene and it’s promising to be a popular one too.

This brand-new life-sized immersive experience plunges players into the nostalgic world of the iconic video game we all know and love, only instead of using joysticks on an old-school arcade machine, they’ll physically sprint, dodge, and chomp their way through a maze.

Although the launch itself is still a few months away, the team behind this ingenious idea are getting ready for the frenzy and putting early bird tickets on sale ahead of opening day.

Credit: Concept Image (supplied)

So how does it work?

Good question: participants can gear up in a PAC vest and step into the role of the instantly recognisable yellow chomper, collecting power pellets, dodging the classic ghost characters – BLINKY, PINKY, INKY, and CLYDE – and racking up points on their way to victory.

Guided through an epic 12-level adventure, players will be led by the ‘PAC-MASTER’: a lively gameshow host who serves as commentator and referee; players will also be accompanied by immersive in-game effects like sound bites, lighting, and haptic (vibration) feedback to elevate the experience. Cool, right?

The striking Arcade Arena will feature two massive PAC-MAN courts projected onto the floor, while dynamic visuals transform the walls, fully immersing participants in the retro arcade universe. There’s no need for headsets either, so players can embark on a multi-sensory adventure, seamlessly blending the real world with augmented reality.

Created by Tom Lionetti-Maguire, the CEO and Founder of Little Lion Entertainment – the same team behind The Crystal Maze Live Experience, Tomb Raider, and Chaos Karts to the likes of London and more recently Manchester –

The whole thing has been brought to life in partnership with Bandai Namco Entertainment, lending the proper licensing to make the experience feel both fun and authentic. It’s the real deal.

Credit: Supplied

Early bird tickets for Pac-Man Live Manchester

If you’re not sold on playing a human-sized, real-life game of Pac-Man in a huge augmented-reality arena right here in Manchester then we don’t know what to tell you, to be honest – all we know is that we’ll be first in line when it arrives.

The Pac-Man Live Experience comes to the Arcade Arena on 22 March next year in line with the game’s 40th anniversary, and they’re inviting players of all ages and providing engaging gameplay for younger participants while delivering a nostalgic throwback that parents and grandparents will cherish.

Better yet, if you book during the early bird window, you can access discount ticket prices from just £25 per person too.

Early bird tickets go on sale at 12 noon today (Thursday, 21 November) – you can grab yours HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Supplied

What's On

Blood Brothers at Palace Theatre, Manchester – a timeless classic

Greg James Greg James Sean Jones and Joe Slight in Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman

Bill Kenwright’s production of Blood Brothers surpassed 10,000 performances in London’s West End making it one of only three musicals ever to achieve that monumental milestone – and now it’s visiting us here in Manchester.

“Oh Bright New Day”, Blood Brothers has just landed back at the Palace Theatre. This musical written by Willy Russell is a British piece of theatre that is a staple in the musical theatre tapestry of our country. 

For anyone who is unfamiliar with this iconic story, it is an emotional tale of two twins who are separated at birth and grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with the most fateful of consequences.

The story’s central character, Mrs Johnston is the linchpin in this whole story and carries us through the show.

This role has been played by many superb women over the years including Mel C, Kiki Dee, Barbara Dickson and nearly all of the Nolan Sisters. This time, Mrs Johnston is performed by Vivienne Carlyle who provides a lovely maternal performance. 

The other two lead roles are Mickey and Eddie, played by Sean Jones and Joe Sleight respectively.

These are really complex roles to play as the actors have to portray the characters from early school years to grown adults.

The cast of Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman
The cast of Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman
Sean Jones, Gemma Brodrick and Joe Slight in Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman
Sean Jones, Gemma Brodrick and Joe Slight in Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman

Sean Jones has been playing the role of Mickey now for nearly 25 years and so he is no stranger to this character. And I must say, he still fantastically plays the part, even when playing young Mickey, and the show really takes off when he enters the stage.

Joe Sleight is someone who I had not seen in the role of Eddie before and he gave just as strong a performance as Jones. He offered a real contrast to his counterpart with a really beautiful, touching performance. 

The whole ensemble did a gorgeous job of helping to carry these characters throughout the musical, showing a real flair for multi-roling and beautiful musicality in the group numbers too. 

Something which elevates this already gripping story though is the music. There are many recurring musical motifs throughout the show that on the surface may come off as repetitive but they offer perspective on how things can evolve and change over time.

Of course the song though that everybody is perhaps familiar with is the power ballad, ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’. This is the climax of the show and what a climax it is. There’s not a dry eye in the house when we reach this point of the story, I can assure you! 

So, whether you are returning to watch this show again, perhaps know the story from studying it in English GCSE or seeing it for the first time, it will always be an absolutely timeless classic.

Blood Brothers is on at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until Saturday 30 November. Tickets are available HERE.

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Featured image: Jack Merriman

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